A Bump In The Night
by Abbadon-Abandon
Summary: In the middle of the night, Soichiro is visited by a troubled Light.


Soichiro started awake. Soft breathing filled the room, the gentle hush coming from his wife, who lay tucked beside him. Nothing out of the expected. Still, he could sense something else.

Eyes straining in the dark, he scanned the room. He liked to think his training in the field hadn't gone to nothing. Everything seemed normal, except… The darkness pooling in the corner if the room was different, deeper somehow, and as his eyes twitched back to his door he realized it had been skewed slightly ajar, soft light seeping into the room through the crack.

His breath caught, then released with a low whoosh. The figure, still grainy, had grown clearer, the darkness having cleared into a recognizable figure, not some sort of murderer lurking in the gloom.

"Son?" Voice soft with sleep, he called into the darkness.

"...Dad." Soichiro could almost hear Light's blush, embarrassed at being caught.

"What's wrong?" Why was Light here? Was it a nightmare? It had been so long since Light had come to Soichiro because of that. He missed it...

"I… couldn't sleep."

"Sit." A small smile lifted Soichiro's face as he patted the bed beside him. It had been so long since he had the time to actually talk to Light, and although near midnight in his bedroom wasn't the most ideal place, he would have to get the most out of it.

Slowly, Light slunk over. For a second, Light wavered above the bed, uncertainty twisting his delicate features. Soichiro sighed. A somewhat strained chuckled left him. "Sit down." He could feel Light shifting above him.

The bed creaked as Light dropped his weight on it. Still, Light remained stiff. Removed. "What's wrong, Light?" I can't help you if you don't tell me…

"I can't sleep." Soichiro reached out, hand brushing gently against Light's arm. Light stiffened. Placating, Soichiro withdrew. The bed sighed softly as Light shifted in place.

"Something on your mind?" Silence. Then…

"Y-yeah, dad. Do you ever… make mistakes?"

Soichiro laughed, despite himself. Something churned his stomach. "Light…"

"It's not funny!" By now Soichiro's eyes had adjusted enough to the gloom to very clearly make out Light's blush. If he wasn't so sleep deprived, he would have sworn something akin to liquid glinted off Light's eyes.

"Wait." Soichiro's hand closed on Light's shoulder as he tried to shy away. "I do, Light. Make mistakes. So does everyone. It just means you're human." He pulled Light closer. Light huffed, but didn't resist.

"You're not alone, you know." Light lay on the bed. Still, his eyes didn't meet Socihiro's. Sighing slightly, he reached his arm out, hand tentative as he stroked through his son's hair.

For just a moment they lay like that, his hand drifting to cup Light's face. Light felt warm. Soft. Stubble less. He was so young… It couldn't last.

Soichiro broke the silence. "So, Light… do you want to tell me what happened?" His son shook his head, eyes averted. Soichiro breathed in, then let it slowly seep out, waiting. Light didn't inch closer. Didn't speak. Finally, Light shook his head. The ghost of wetness remained on his eyelids.

"Fine." He let the word hang in the darkness. Light still didn't look at him.

Another moment passed as they lay halfway between contact and quiet reserve. A small something tugged at Soichiro's chest. Pulling himself upright, he opened his arms in what he prayed was a placating gesture.

Almost like an animal, petrified as it was cornered, Light remained still. His amber eyes were wide. With an air of caution, he rose to sit on his knees. Soichiro's hands remained planted in the mattress.

For a second, Light watched him. Then, diffidently as a cat, he shuffled forward. Soichiro smiled, reaching and pulling Light to sit on his lap. Light yelped, slightly, as he was seated.

Feigning indifference poorly, Light shifted, a low grumble sliding from his throat.

"Do you need a pillow, Light?" He wasn't sure if Light could see his eyebrow, half arched with bemusement through the darkness. Soichiro could still catch the ruby flush that tinted Light's skin at his words.

"N-no, Dad. I'm just…" Light trailed to a whisper.

"That's alright, Light. Just as long as you're comfortable." A small, almost shy smile splayed itself across Light's face, and he inched closer, head leaning to rest on Soichiro's chest.

As Light burrowed into him, Soichiro ran a steady hand down Light's side. His fingers traced over every bump and indent, trying to familiarize himself. With each gentle repetition, tension drained from his son. Finally, Light lay near slackened in his arms.

Soichiro hardly recalled a time when Light looked so relaxed against him. Light had seemed so… tense, especially over the last few days. He tried not to be troubled by the thought.

A small yawn escaped from Light, mouth opening wide like a cat. Soichiro grinned, a hand darting out to ruffle Light's hair.

"Hey!" Light didn't bother to yank back. A small chuckle rumbled from Soichiro's chest at his indignation. Light looked so cute, cuddled so close to him. A reminder of when Light was only five and Soichiro just a low-ranking cop doing 9-5. Before work had swallowed any time he could spend with his son.

With a sigh, he pulled Light closer. Dwelling on that would fix nothing. Now was what counted.

"So, you're sure you don't want to talk? I am your father, Light, and no matter what you have to tell me, I will always-"

"Dad!" Light had tensed. "Please! I just… don't want to talk about it, OK?!" His face looked bright red, and Soichiro was sure that if he just reached his hand out to touch him Light would be scalding.

"That's fine Light. Just… as long as you know that I'll never stop loving you, OK?" Light just looked so fragile, curled up beside him. Like a ghost of when he was younger.

Something cold and wet settled in his stomach as his mind drifted to the current case troubling him. So many dead… Even though all of them had been criminals, he still couldn't shake the lurking sense of dread.

The thought of death alone didn't terrify him as much as it should have; he was a police officer, and he was prepared. But now, with Light in his arms looking so young and dependent and a reminder of all the time that had been wasted, he couldn't bare the thought of being wrenched from him. From his family.

Light's soft answer snapped him from his thoughts. "Yeah Dad, I know…" Soichiro's eyes narrowed; Light had hesitated. But that didn't overshadow the small smile that had settled over Light's face. At the very least Light knew that now.

"I love you. So so much." He kissed Light's forehead, brushing back his hair slightly like when he was a child and needed Soichiro to make Light's fevers disappear.

"Yeah, Dad, I love you too…" The blush dusting Light's cheeks deepened. Still, that didn't stop Light from squirming until his head was bumped against Soichiro's. His hand drifted to massage Light's back.

The room felt so much quieter now, with Light's soft breathing slipping to evenness. Sachiko still lay asleep beside them, barely having stirred at all from Light's intrusion.

The soft weight of Light on top of him radiated heat, and Soichiro smiled. He was his own little island of warmth, a stark contrast to the cool darkness. His little light.

As Soichiro settled himself more comfortable into the bed, shifting Light ever so slightly (the boy grumbled slightly, but he didn't wake. Soichiro was glad, the poor boy needed his rest...), a sudden exhaustion washed over him. It had been a long day, and a long night. Now, he just needed sleep… Slowly, his eyelids drifted closed.

The soft sound of Light's breathing, even and untroubled, settled into the background. It felt right, to hear it.

As soon as the thought entered his head, he knew it was silly. But still, he couldn't shake the fuzzy feeling as he listened to the evenness of Light's breaths. He sounded like he felt safe, like he was happy. He knew it was foolish to attach so much credence to them. And yet… His grip tightened minutely as a resolve crept over him. No matter what, no matter how dangerous a case he took on, he would never let himself be taken from Light. From his son.

As the soft sounds of night drifted around him, he vaguely wondered on what exactly Light had been troubled by. He shrugged it off as he fell closer to sleep. He would talk to Light in the morning. Now, he just needed to sleep.

Soichiro woke up cold. Emptiness hollowed his chest, and it was only after a long moment of staring at the gray light splashed on the ceiling did he realize why. Light had gone. Almost like a phantom. Like he hadn't visited at all.

Slowly, he pulled himself upright. The room, even as the stark gray dawn illuminated it, seemed so much darker than before.


End file.
